Thanksgiving Trivia: 15 Fun Facts

Don’t talk politics at the Thanksgiving table this year. Try Thanksgiving trivia instead!

Tired of talking about politics?

Rather than suffering through your co-ed niece duking it out with Uncle Melvin this Thanksgiving, distract and entertain your family and friends with some fun and interesting Thanksgiving trivia.

You can download our printable version here!

To get everyone involved, why not cut each of the 15 Thanksgiving Trivia up and hand them out to family and friends seated at your table? Each person can read their piece of trivia in numerical order! Or for a little competitive fun, you can divide into teams and present a prize to the winning team!

We’ve compiled 15 fun facts for you below:

Question #1: On what date was the first Thanksgiving held?

Answer: Nobody actually knows. It was thought to be between late October and mid-November.

Question #2: In what year was the first “Thanksgiving” celebrated?

Answer: 1621

Question #3: What Native American tribe celebrated “Thanksgiving” with the pilgrims:

Answer: The Wampanoags

Question #4: Where was the first “Thanksgiving” celebrated?

Answer: Plymouth, Massachusetts

plymouth rock sign

Question #5: What did the first “Thanksgiving” actually celebrate?

Answer: A successful harvest.

Question #6: What is the name of the ship that carried the Pilgrims to the New World?

Answer: The Mayflower

Question #7: What president issued a proclamation naming Thursday, November 26, 1789 as a “Day of Publick Thanksgivin”?

Answer: George Washington

Question #8: Which president made the proclamation that Thanksgiving would be held each year on the last Thursday of November?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln in 1863

Question #9: Which president switched Thanksgiving from the last Thursday of November to the second to last Thursday in November?

Answer: Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Question #10: Why did Roosevelt switch the Thursdays?

Answer: It was the Great Depression (1939) and the head of Federated Department Stores (which later became Macy’s) lobbied the president to change the date to allow for more shopping days before Christmas.

Question #11: What president signed the joint Congressional resolution declaring that Thanksgiving would be an official U.S. holiday on the fourth Thursday of November?

Answer: Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Most of the American people didn’t like the change to the third Thursday of November!

Question #12: In what year did Thanksgiving become an official U.S. federal holiday?

Answer: 1941

Question #13 : Has turkey always been served on Thanksgiving?

Answer: It’s not completely clear. There is no clear evidence that it was served on the first “Thanksgiving.” The Wampanoag brought deer, and the Pilgrims brought wild “fowl,” which may have included turkey.

An American writer named Sarah Josepha Hale wrote a novel in 1827 in which she described a typical New England Thanksgiving that included a roasted turkey “placed at the head of the table.” This certainly indicates that turkey has long been the centerpiece of American Thanksgiving dinners!

turkey for thanksgiving trivia

Question #14: Did the Wampanoag and Pilgrims eat cranberries at the first “Thanksgiving?”

Answer: It is not clear, but only three fruits were native to North America: blueberries, Concord grapes, and cranberries. The Wampanoag were known to eat cranberries and use them for dye, so it is thought that they likely enjoyed cranberries at the first “Thanksgiving.”

cranberries for thanksgiving trivia